


The Promise

by AnimatedGamer



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: F/M, First Dates, First Kiss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:53:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29446599
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnimatedGamer/pseuds/AnimatedGamer
Summary: After the end of Majin Buu, a certain someone remembers a promise she made to herself. Now she intends to keep it.
Relationships: Videl Satan/Son Gohan
Comments: 3
Kudos: 11





	The Promise

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on FF.net on May 12, 2019. Originally a two-shot. Also a rewrite of one of my earliest fics, simply titled "Gohan and Videl's First Date."

** The Promise **

“You know Gohan, this is starting to become a trend, and school just restarted for you didn’t it?”

Gohan let out an embarrassed chuckle as Bulma paced back and forth through the living room. “Sorry if I’m being a bother Bulma, but you were the first person I could think to go to for advice.”

“Don’t worry about it Gohan. It’s just kind of funny that out of all the battles you’ve fought, the one that you just can’t seem to handle is basic school life. Speaking of, what did you need help with anyway?”

“Well…I should probably just start at the beginning.”

_[Flashback]_

_Satan City’s green clad, helmeted hero could be seen zooming through the brisk morning air. Before long, he soon found himself above Orange Star High School. Disengaging his costume, Gohan landed on the school’s roof and struck a trademark pose, before flinching at the unmistakable sound of slow clapping._

_“You know, I think you may actually be getting better.”_

_“Gyagh!”_

_The startled Saiyan shrieked and hastily turned around before letting out a relieved sigh as he came face to face with a familiar girl with short, black hair._

_“Oh it’s you Videl. Good morning,” Gohan greeted._

_“Good morning Gohan,” she replied._

_“So, you’re late too huh?”_

_“Not really. I’ve been here for a while actually.”_

_“Well, class is about to start so we’d better get moving. It’ll actually be pretty nice to be back.” Gohan went for the entrance, but paused when Videl spoke up._

_“Actually Gohan…” she said slowly. “There’s something I need to talk to you about.”_

_“About what?” Gohan turned to face her and took notice of the red tint on her face. “Videl?”_

_Videl remained silent for a short moment before she shook her head and let out a dismissive sigh. “Never mind. It can wait until after school.”_

_“If you say so…”_

_Taking a breath to perk herself up, Videl strode over to the roof entrance and motioned for Gohan to follow her. “Come on. If we hang around up here much longer, we’ll both be late.”_

_“Ladies first.”_

_[Later that day]_

_The school day had proceeded rather uneventfully. Classes were normal, there was talk of Majin Buu, but the only people who seemed to recall (or care) that Gohan was The Great Saiyaman/The Golden Fighter were Erasa and Sharpener who, thanks in no small part to Videl were willing to keep the secret (at least until the Dragon Balls reactivated in a few months)._

_As the final bell rang, and the students all made their way to their lockers, Gohan’s eyes widened to find a note, oh so subtly taped to his._

_“What’s this?” Unraveling the scrap of paper, Gohan mentally read,_

‘Gohan, don’t forget to meet me on the roof.   
-Videl’

_‘Oh yeah. She said she wanted to speak to me after school. Well, I better not keep her waiting.’_

_Sticking the note into his pocket, Gohan grabbed his essentials and quickly made his way towards the roof. Upon his arrival, Gohan found Videl seemingly lost in thought, muttering something to herself._

_Stepping up behind her, Gohan called out, “Videl?”_

_“WHA-!?”_

_In a fashion nearly mirroring their earlier exchange, Videl let out a startled shriek before hastily turning to face Gohan._

_“Heh, I guess that makes us even huh?” Videl giggled._

_“I guess so.” Gohan replied with a chuckle._

_“So Videl, what did you want to talk to me about?”_

_Videl remained silent as she stepped towards Gohan, taking care to avoid direct eye contact with him. Gohan instinctively took a step backwards as she inched closer and closer until he was pressed up against the door, a flight blush on his face._

_“V-Videl…!?”_

_“Doyouwannagooutonadatewithme…” Her response was ineligible as she once again muttered under her breath._

_“Sorry, I…didn’t quite get that…”_

_Taking a deep breath, Videl looked up to meet Gohan’s gaze, her face tinted a very crimson hue. In the next moment, she practically yelled out, “DO YOU WANT TO GO OUT ON A DATE WITH ME!!??”_

_[End Flashback]_

“And that’s basically it,” Gohan said capping off his tale.

As Gohan finished his story, Bulma just stood frozen before letting out a soft, “I can’t believe it…”

“Yeah, I’m just as surprised as…”

“IT’S ABOUT DAMN TIME!” Bulma exclaimed cutting Gohan off.

“Wait what…? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well, we knew _one_ of you had to make a move sooner or later. Not that surprised that Videl took the initiative though,” Bulma mulled aloud.

“Wait a sec…GOHAN!”

“Y-yes!?”

“PLEASE tell me you didn’t say no!”

“I…didn’t say no?”

“Did you _really_ …?”

“Well, kind of…” Gohan sheepishly placed a hand on the back of his head.

“What do you mean kind of?” Bulma raised an eyebrow.

“Well…I was so caught off guard by her asking me out that I kind of stumbled over my words a little and agreed kind of hastily without really thinking it over.” Gohan explained.

“Okay, I can understand you feeling a bit overwhelmed about that, but honestly Gohan, would you have said ‘No’ even _if_ you had put more thought into it?” Bulma rebutted.

Gohan took a moment to consider Bulma’s question. His face flashing a light red, he sighed and replied, “No.”

“That’s what I thought.” Said a now grinning Bulma.

“But…I don’t even know what you’re supposed to do on a date…” Gohan softly admitted.

Bulma giggled. “It doesn’t matter what you do, just so long as you’re both enjoying it.”

“Really?”

“You’re worrying yourself over nothing Gohan, just think of the most fun thing you can think to do together and go for it! As long as you keep that in mind, I can assure you everything will turn out fine.”

With his confidence briefly boosted, Gohan stood up and gave a firm nod. “Thanks Bulma.”

“Anytime kid…OH! Wait a second Gohan!” Bulma dashed off, leaving a confused Gohan alone for the moment. A short minute later, she returned with a sly grin on her face.

“Before you go, something tells me, you’re going to need this.”

[Some time later]

In the skies of Mount Paouzu, Gohan was cruising above the afternoon sun, lost in deep thought, Bulma’s words echoing through his head.

 _“You shouldn’t be worried Gohan. If there’s one thing that the fight with Majin Buu made abundantly clear, it’s that she_ really _likes you. After all,_ she _asked_ you _out.”_

‘Bulma has a point but…I still can’t help but feel a bit unnerved by this whole thing.’ As Gohan continued to ponder his situation at school, his home quickly came into view.

“Speaking of unnerving…I still have to tell Mom about this.”

Starting a descent, Gohan found his mother outside hanging out laundry.

“Mom!” he called.

Chi-Chi looked up and flashed her son an inviting smile as he touched ground. “Oh hey sweetie,” greeted Chi-Chi.

“Hey Mom,” Gohan replied half-heartedly.

Noticing her son’s less than positive tone, Chi-Chi raised a concerned eyebrow. “Now what’s with that greeting? Did something happen at school today?”

“Well…”

[One explanation later]

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?”

Gohan flinched at his mother’s ear-piercing scream before she continued on.

“I can’t believe it’s finally happening! My Gohan’s first date with his future wife!”

Before Gohan could respond, the missing members of their family suddenly appeared in an instant.

“We’re baaaack!” Goten exclaimed.

“Dad! Goten!”

“Ahh, I knew that was your energy I sensed Gohan.” Goku grinned. “What’s up?”

“I’LL tell you what’s up!” Chi-Chi interjected. “Gohan has a date with Videl this weekend!”

“Wow, for real? Way to go Gohan,” Goku praised.

“Thanks…I think…”

“Oh this is huge! We’ll need to buy you some new outfits…maybe get your hair cut…” Chi-Chi began pacing as she proceeded to list off a slew of (unnecessary) preparations.

“Hey if Gohan’s going on a date, does that mean Videl _is_ gonna be my new sister!?” Goten excitedly asked.

“For crying out loud, it’s just one date you guys, not a wedding! Besides, it’s not until the day after tomorrow anyways…and I still don’t even know what we’re going to do yet.”

“Well…when your mom and I first went on a date together, she told me you’re supposed to do the most pleasurable thing you can think of,” said Goku.

“The most pleasurable…?” ‘Funny…Bulma said something similar. Maybe I am just getting worried over nothing.’ As Gohan mulled over his father’s words, his thoughts were fiercely interrupted by Chi-Chi’s loud interjection.

“Don’t even think about it Gohan! I know I taught you that better than that. You’re supposed to wait until marriage before you even think of doing _that_!”

“Think about wha-?” Gohan’s face grew a dark scarlet shade as he quickly realized what his mother was implying. “MOM! I wasn’t thinking that at all!”

Crossing her arms, Chi-Chi shot back. “You better not have been!”

“Wait, what’s Gohan not supposed to think about?”

“When you’re older!” came the combined voices of Gohan and Chi-Chi. Goku could only laugh as his youngest son pouted from being left out of the loop.

[[Meanwhile, in Satan City]]

An extremely tense Videl, threw herself onto her bed, face up and released all her tension in a single loud breath. “Finally, I’m home!”

Today had been an extremely hectic day for Videl. School was normal, but everyday life surrounding it, not so much, and it all began with a single question.

_[Flashback]_

_It was the end of the school day and Videl was alone on top of the roof of the school. ‘Okay, Gohan should’ve gotten the note by now, so he should be on his way up here.’ She inwardly monologued._

_‘Now how exactly am I supposed to do this? Should I be subtle…no, Gohan’s terrible at taking hints. Maybe I ought to just be direct…? But then how would he react…?’ Videl continued to list off various options, her thoughts becoming more and more vocal the longer the list became._

_Truthfully, she’d been thinking about this all day, but no matter what option presented itself, none of them seemed…right. When the moment finally came, she nearly froze to death in anxiety. Asking a boy out shouldn’t be this hard right…right? Maybe not, but when said boy happens to be a half-alien superhero, the difficulty level may increase at least somewhat._

_Once he appeared on the roof with her, she quickly had him backed against the wall, looking nearly as nervous as she was. No matter how hard she tried, she just couldn’t get the words out of her mouth, when she finally did however, they were small and soft-spoken. That’s not how the daughter-of the World Champion should present herself._

_Taking a deep breath, Videl let the words fly in one vigorous burst._

_“DO YOU WANT TO GO OUT ON A DATE WITH ME!?”_

_As soon as the words left her mouth VIdel quickly retreated, her face as red as an apple as Gohan suddenly seemed to freeze. Before long, she could hear him stammering something, but couldn’t quite make it out._

_“Gohan?”_

_“S-sorry Videl…I don’t think I heard you quite right…d-did you just ask me out on a date…?” he finally managed to say._

_Videl clenched her fist as the anxiety quickly returned, this time accompanied with irritation. There’s no way he_ didn’t _hear her, not with how loud she was just then. Deciding to humor him anyway, Videl crossed her arms across her chest and fiercely repeated herself. “Need me to say it again, fine! Gohan, do you want to go out on a date with me!?”_

_Gohan seemed to shrink under Videl’s apparent anger, but quickly dispelled it with his quick, yet shaky response. “Uh-s-sure…why not?”_

_There was a brief period of silence as soon as Gohan gave his answer. After nearly a minute, the silence was broken by Videl, looking a lot less tense all of a sudden._

_“SO…how does Friday after school sound?”_

_“That’s…okay with me.”_

_“So…see you then?”_

_“Sure…”_

_Following the pair’s awkward exchange, Videl went back into the building to exit through the front while Gohan simply ascended into the sky, not even bothering to put his costume on. As soon as Videl was certain she was alone, she let out a deep, long sigh of relief. “I’m so glad that’s over.”_

_“Oh, I wouldn’t say that, Videl!” chimed in a familiar female voice. Checking down the staircase, VIdel came face to face with none other than her blonde friend Erasa who had the most mischievous grin on her face. “From the looks of it, seems like things are just getting started.”_

_[End Flashback]_

Following that exchange on the roof, Erasa _insisted_ that the two of them go shopping to prepare her for the big day. While Videl wasn’t opposed to the thought of a new outfit or more for her date, shopping with Erasa is always a major hassle, which only made it all the more irritating when Erasa wouldn’t stop throwing out ‘told you so’s’, asking what took her so long, as well as details for ‘what convinced her to finally make a move?’

As all of Eras’a questions resurfaced in her mind, Videl’s exhaustion quickly turned into anticipation. Grabbing a nearby pillow Videl hugged it against her body, trying to hide the overtly girly grin that now plastered her face.

“Still, I can hardly believe he actually said yes,” Videl thought aloud.

‘Guess great things can happen when you keep a promise you make to yourself’.

_“Come back soon Gohan. When this is over, I’m gonna ask you out on a date!”_

Videl’s face flushed as she recalled the memory. It felt like so long ago she’d made that decision. Hard to believe it was just barely a couple of weeks. But that was the past, it was time to focus on the future. “Well, I should probably prepare myself.”

Rolling out of her bed, Videl pulled out a capsule and popped it open, revealing a large quantity of shopping bags.

“Alright, now let’s see what we’ve got here.”

**_[A couple of days later...]_ **

Gohan stood in front of a mirror checking himself over time and time again. His big date was today and he was having some issues getting ready. His mother had hooked him up with an overtly fancy suit and tie, that was practically a tuxedo; way too fancy for a casual afternoon date. Goku being Goku, suggested he go in his training gear, after all, he and Chi-Chi spent their first date fighting. Gohan being Gohan, quickly dismissed that plan and went back to trying on outfit after outfit, until finally he came across one that he felt was both fancy and casual enough for a date [For clarity’s sake, imagine Gohan as he appears in the Majin Buu saga wearing his casual Resurrection F outfit].

Feeling satisfied with his pick, Gohan quickly grabbed the Capsule that Bulma had given him prior and popped it open revealing a large wad of Zeni. Being the modest soul that he is, Gohan had initially tried to decline the money, but Bulma was insistent. She kept saying that it was the guy’s duty to pay for the activities done on a first date, plus in the fairly likely event that they wound up at some kind of restaurant, she wanted to make sure he had enough money to satisfy his Saiyan sized appetite. Not able to argue with that, Gohan reluctantly accepted the money, but inwardly hoped he wouldn’t have to use too much of it, because he wanted to be able to pay Bulma back, though knowing her, she’d probably just say it was no big deal.

Giving himself one more once over, Gohan finally felt ready for the day. He only needed one thing more. Raising his fist across his chest, Gohan strapped on his transformation watch. Truthfully, he didn’t think he’d need it for anything, but given Satan City’s pension for crime, it wouldn’t hurt to be prepared. Plus, at this point, it was almost a necessity for him. With nothing left to hold him back, Gohan finally exited his home, with his family behind him, each giving him some final words of encouragement.

“Well, I guess I’m off,” said Gohan.

“Good luck Son,” said Goku.

“Remember Gohan, mind your manners, be polite, and if you choose to ignore my first warning, then AT LEAST make sure you use protection!” Chi-Chi exclaimed.

“MOM!!”

“Protection from what?” asked Goten.

“I’m actually wondering that myself,” Goku added.

“Uhhh…” not wanting to explain contraception to her two innocent lugs, Chi-Chi quickly turned the attention back to Gohan.

“Anyways, have fun Son, and try not to ruin your outfit!”

“Sure thing Mom. NIMBUS!!”

Gohan mounted the familiar Golden cloud as it passed by the humble home and proceeded to take off into the sky. As Gohan rode on the magic tool, he took a moment to do some additional mental preparations.

‘Man, I hope I don’t screw anything up. I know Dad and Bulma just said do the most fun thing you can think of, but I’m still drawing a blank. Maybe Videl will have an idea of what to do……man I really hope I don’t screw anything up.’

That single phrase would repeat itself endlessly in Gohan’s mind as Nimbus quickly exited the Paouzu Mountain Village.

[Meanwhile, in Satan City]

A blast of steam erupted from a door inside the bedroom of the daughter of Mr. Satan, and the girl herself emerged from the cloud wrapped in a white bathrobe. She may have taken longer than she would’ve liked in the shower, but thankfully, she knew exactly what she needed to do to get ready for her big day today.

Discarding the robe Videl quickly combed out her hair and threw on the outfit she had prepared earlier in advance, inwardly thanking Erasa for her shopaholic nature. Before long, Videl stood in front of the mirror looking mostly satisfied with herself [Again for clarity, she’s wearing the outfit from the movie ‘Wrath of the Dragon’]. Mostly because she felt she needed one last extra touch. Darting over to jewelry box, Videl pulled out a set of light ear piercings. After carefully applying the jewelry to her ears, Videl once again looked at herself in the mirror and let out a single soft, “Perfect.”

Grabbing a small handbag, Videl headed for the door, prepared to just dash out the front and make her way to the meeting spot, but she quickly halted herself. Now that she realized it, she hadn’t told her father about her date with Gohan. She had a feeling that even though he wouldn’t fully object, given what they both knew about him, she still didn’t want to risk him throwing a fit and making her late. A mischievous grin on her face, Videl stepped out onto her balcony. Unable to use her jet copter due to the noise, she slowly levitated into the air before heading out into the city. Unbeknownst to her, a certain rotund, pink monster man and his little puppy bore witness to her exiting form in the sky and waved her off.

[A few moments later]

The golden cloud rider began his descent into the city. Hopping off of his mount, he landed on the roof of a random building before jumping off again and slowly landing on the side of it in an alleyway. Double checking to make sure the coast was clear, Gohan exited the alley and made his way into the heart of the city.

A short time later, Gohan found himself waiting at a fountain that was topped with a large metallic statue of Mr. Satan. As the fountain vigorously sprayed water into the air, Gohan looked down to check his watch.

‘Hmm…looks like I’m on time, but where’s Videl?’

“Gohan!”

At the sound of his name being called, Gohan turned and began to greet his date. “Oh hey Vide-!” once he opened his mouth, he nigh instantly froze as Videl appeared lightly jogging towards him. His face was tinted red as she finally appeared in front of him and lightly starting panting.

As Videl took a few seconds to catch her breath, Gohan couldn’t help but run his eyes across her frame. From the yellow blouse which seemed to greatly, compliment her light-blue eyes to the form-fitting white skirt that clung to her thighs and greatly accentuated her toned waist and legs, Videl was beaming with a feminine aura that Gohan rarely got to see beneath her usually brash exterior.

“Sorry I’m late,” Videl apologized between light breaths.

“Ehhh…ehhh…” Gohan stammered as Videl went on apologizing and explaining her lateness.

“Gohan?”

“Huh?”

“What are staring at? Is there something on my shirt!?” Videl alarmed.

Realizing what he was doing, Gohan quickly shook himself back to reality and tried to put Videl at ease. “N-no, it’s not that! I just…like your outfit…?” he stuttered.

“Thanks,” replied a pink faced Videl. Taking a moment to quickly give Gohan a once over, her eyes remaining on Gohan’s exposed arms, she replied, “You’re looking pretty great yourself.”

“Thank you,” Gohan accepted the compliment.

The odd pair remained silent for a moment before Videl spoke up. “Well, guess we better get going,” she said walking off.

“Going where?” asked Gohan.

“I thought we could maybe catch a movie,” Videl replied. “There’s a new one coming out I and I figured it’d be a good place to start.”

“S-sure. Sounds like fun,” Gohan replied.

“Then come on already!” Grabbing Gohan’s hand, a zealous Videl pulled the young Saiyan along into the streets.

[A few moments later]

“Hey Videl, what movie are we watching anyway?” Gohan asked.

Videl gave a small giggle and replied. “You’ll see, and I can almost guarantee you’ll love it.”

As their conversation drew to a close, they finally arrived at the Satan City Theater. Before heading to the counter, Videl checked her watch and smiled. “Looks like we’re right on time. Wait here for a second.”

Videl made her way to the box office, leaving Gohan alone for the moment. ‘Wonder what kind of movie we’re watching? I hope it’s not it’s not a romance, I can never stay awake during those. Then again…Videl doesn’t seem like the type to be interested in that sort of thing...maybe it’s a horror movie!?’

“Gohan!?”

“Gyagh!”

Gohan yelped at the sound of his name and turned to see Videl looking at him with a confused eyebrow raised.

“Stop daydreaming Gohan, I got the tickets now let’s go.” Taking Gohan by the wrist, Videl hastily pulled Gohan into the theater.

‘Well she seems pretty excited. Now I’m really curious to what this movie is.’

[In the theater]

The theater was thankfully not crowded, but it was far from empty at the same. With an extremely large tub of popcorn and a couple of drinks in hand, the pair managed to find a couple of ‘isolated’ seats right in the middle of the center-most row. Once they were situated, Gohan once again asked, “Seriously Videl, what kind of movie is this?”

Videl quickly shushed him just as the movie began.

_The film opened to a scene of a bank robbery in a heavily crowded city. A pair of villains swiftly avoided a police barricade and were all set to make an escape before the larger of the two was sucker punched in the gut and launched away. The scene then cut to a large man wearing a blue and white hoody with blonde hair, standing defensively in front of a worried looking family, silhouetted against a pillar of fire._

_“Fear not citizens, everything is fine.” He turns to face the fearful mother and daughter. “You’re safe because I am here!” he said in a stern yet assuring tone._

‘Is this some kind of superhero movie?’ Gohan thought, stuffing a handful of popcorn into his mouth.

As Gohan absentmindedly continued watching and eating, Videl shot a glance to the side and snickered. ‘I thought he might enjoy this sort of thing.’

[An hour and a half later]

_The film was smack dab in the middle of its climactic final battle. Earlier in the film, the villain had stolen a device from one of the characters to make himself stronger and now, he’d transformed himself into a giant mass of metal and electronics. The large blonde man from the beginning was attempting to fight it off, but this time he was accompanied by various younger characters who were at a similar age to Gohan and Videl themselves._

_The one who was being focused on was a young boy with curly green hair who during the villain’s final attack joined the older, larger hero in firing off a unified finishing move as the two of them acrobatically avoided and forced themselves through the villain’s desperate counterattack._

_“To overcome the crisis in front of you…”_

_“By giving everything you’ve got…_

_“To save people…_

_“No matter the cost…!_

_“That’s what makes someone…_

_“A HERO!”_

**_“DOUBLE…DETROIT…SMAAAAAAASH!”_ **

_The pair forced themselves through the villain’s fierce metallic body with a pair of superpowered fists, accompanyied with an all to inspiring finishing message._

_“Go Beyond! **PLUUUUUUUUUS-ULTRAAAAAAA!”**_

Gohan could only watch in awe as the movie villain began to crumble to pieces, and Videl let out a small laugh at just how into the movie Gohan was.

[A few minutes later]

Gohan and Videl exited the theater, the latter stretching herself out after being seated for so long. Gohan on the other hand had both hands behind his head with a satisfied look on his face.

“I’m guessing you liked it?” said Videl.

“Liked it? I loved it!” Gohan replied. “I mean, a world where everybody has powers and they have schools that teach kids to become superheroes? That sounds amazing!”

Videl giggled at Gohan’s enthusiastic recount of the movie’s setting. “Well, I don’t know about you Gohan, but after all that popcorn, I could sure go for something sweet.”

“Sounds good to me,” Gohan agreed.

“Great. There’s a dessert shop not far from here. Come on.”

As the two strolled off into the streets, Gohan suddenly asked, “Hey Videl, if we lived in that movie world, do you think I could be a pro hero as Saiyaman?”

Videl could only let out a cross between a snicker and a sigh.

[Later]

Videl could be seen seated outside a small café looking setting, the table covered by a large, decorative umbrella, her arms crossed and annoyance ever present on her face. “What’s taking him so long?”

When they first arrived, Gohan had insisted on going in to order for them, but that was close to ten minutes ago. The place wasn’t crowded so why Gohan was taking so long was beyond her. Just as she let out another annoyed sigh, the sound of a ringing bell filled the air.

Turning towards the source, Videl found Gohan exiting the building carrying two large, decadent looking milkshakes in hand (whipped cream, flavored syrup, the whole works), one strawberry the other vanilla.

“There you are!” Videl exclaimed.

“Hehe, sorry to keep you waiting,” Gohan chuckled.

Taking a seat, he handed Videl the strawberry shake before heartily taking a sip of his shake. Videl followed suit and took a long sip of hers before letting out a satisfied moan.

“How long has it been since I had ice-cream this good?” she thought aloud.

“I don’t know? How long has it been?” Gohan asked earnestly.

Videl rolled her eyes but couldn’t help but snicker. “I think a better question is, why’d you take so long in there?”

Gohan grinned as he began to recount his trip inside the dessert parlor.

_[A few minutes earlier]_

_Gohan entered the parlor and was greeted by a friendly looking middle-aged man accompanied by a young, brunette girl who looked to be around his age._

_“Welcome, how may I help you today?” asked the man._

_“Well…” Gohan scratched the back of his head. “If it’s not a problem, could I take a moment to check out the menu?”_

_“Of course.”_

_As Gohan thoroughly looked up and down the menu, the girl at the counter proceeded to lean her head on her arm, staring hard at Gohan._

_‘He’s kinda cute. Is he here by himself?’_

_‘Man…how am I supposed to decide what to get when everything looks so good!? What would Videl like?’_

_“Can’t say I’ve seen you here before? Are you new to the city?” asked the girl._

_“Kinda. I just commute here for school. I don’t often get the time to just come out and explore the city like this.”_

_“In that case, you’ve GOT to try one of our famous milkshakes!” she enthusiastically suggested._

_“A milkshake?”_

_“Mmmhhmm. They come in a variety of flavors from your classic trio to rocky road, cookies and cream and everything in between. Not to mention their size. Our regular ones are pretty big, but our large ones could keep you full for half the day…unless of course…you have someone to share it with,” she purred that last bit._

_“Hmmm…” ‘I’m not sure how Videl would feel about having to share one single shake…in that case…’_

_“I’ll take two of your regular milkshakes, vanilla and strawberry.” Gohan ordered._

_“Two of them?” The girls expression suddenly became notably downtrodden. “Are you here with someone?”_

_Gohan sheepishly chuckled. “Yeah…I’m actually on a date right now.”_

_As the girl let out an internal whine of disappointment, the man let out a suggestive guffaw. “Ohohohohooooo…it’s your first date, isn’t it?”_

_“H-how did you…!?”_

_“Let’s just say I’ve got a third eye for that sort of thing son,” the man chuckled. “Two shakes comin’ up. Let’s get to it honey!” he ordered the young girl._

_The pair wasted no time in getting all the ingredients together and mixed. A few minutes later, Gohan was served up a pair of milkshakes that looked like they’d be served at one of Bulma’s parties._

_“Wow, these look great!”_

_“Wait’ll ya taste em.” said the shopkeeper. “Good luck my boy,” he added with a thumbs up._

_Gohan returned the gesture before exiting the parlor and the girl let out a distraught sigh. “Wonder what girl got lucky enough to snag him. He was REALLY cute.”_

_The older man chuckled at the girl’s downtrodden face. “Don’t worry sweetie, there’s plenty of other guys out there,” he encouraged._

_[End Flashback]_

“No real reason. It just took me a while to decide what to get,” Gohan answered.

Videl took a bite of the cake as Gohan answered. “Well, I’d say you made a great choice. After all that salty popcorn, this really hits the spot.”

Gohan gave a small smile, content that Videl was enjoying herself thus far. While the pair continued enjoying their drinks, they failed to notice a small group of guys enter the shop behind them. After a moment of silence, there was a loud crash followed by a female shriek.

“What was that!?” exclaimed Gohan.

The two quickly darted back into the shop to find the older man on the floor with a large lump on his head and the girl cowering behind the counter while five guys, four in ski masks, one o in sunglasses started grabbing all the pastries they could and throwing them around the store.

“You tellin’ me, we came ALL this way, and you DON’T have a Satan’s Food Cake!?” exclaimed the one with the sunglasses.”

“I’m sorry, we…have one baking now, it just won’t be ready for a half hour!” the girl whimpered.

“Screw that!” yelled one of the ski mask guys. “When we ask for the cake we want, we want it NOW!”

“HEY!” shouted a female voice. The robbers turned towards the door to see a boy with spiky hair and a familiar girl with short hair.

“What do _you_ want?” asked sunglasses.

“What I WANT is to be able to enjoy a day without creeps like you showing up,” Videl shot back.

“Why you-!” sunglasses was about to rush over to them but stopped when Ski-Mask No. 2 put a hand on his shoulder.

“Wait a second Keca, ain’t that Mr. Satan’s kid!?” he noted.

“What?” The two workers peeked out of their hiding spots and their eyes widened when they saw the young boy from earlier accompanied by none other than Videl herself.

‘No way! It is her!’ the girl thought with starstruck eyes.

‘How about that. The young lad’s lady friend was Videl, who knew?’ thought the shop keeper.

“You’re right, it is her!” exclaimed Keca.

“You know guys, you could probably avoid trouble if you just clean up the mess you made,” Gohan added.

“What? Who do you think you are tryin’ to give us orders kid!?” exclaimed Keca.

“He’s the guy who’s gonna help me kick your butts if you don’t beat it!” Videl threatened.

Keca cracked his knuckles before a mischievous grin formed on his face. “You know what, boys I think I just found something that’ll be WAY sweeter than ANY cake,” he declared.

“Oh? And what would that be?” Videl asked, crossing her arms.

Keca dashed at the two, rearing his fist back to strike. “Kickin’ the crap outta a the world’s mouthiest little bitch!”

Gohan and Videl both simply sidestepped Keca’s attack. Quickly recovering, Keca set his sights on Videl and threw another string of sloppy punches. Videl dodged them all but effortlessly as the two practically danced around the shop.

Gohan on the other hand turned to guys in the ski masks who all started revealing hidden weapons from knives, to brass knuckles, to baseball bats hidden in capsules.

Gohan let out a sigh. ‘I wish I had a chance to put my costume on. Oh well, guess I’ll just have to end it quickly.’

Gohan took a defensive stance just as all four guys charged at him. Before any of them could even attempt to launch an attack, they all fell over, clutching their stomachs as Gohan dropped his stance. ‘Phew…hope that wasn’t too much.’

Gohan turned to see the looks of bewilderment on both of the workers’ faces. ‘Okay, that _was_ a bit too much,’ Gohan sweatdropped.

Meanwhile Keca had failed to land a single hit on Videl and quickly seemed to be wearing himself out, as evidenced by his deep and heavy panting.

“Are you done now?” Videl asked tauntingly. Before Keca could answer, Videl exclaimed, “My turn!” before darting forward and driving her knee into Keca’s gut.

“Gaaah-!” Keca reeled back clutching his stomach, but he wasn’t down just yet. As both Videl began to stalk towards him, Keca reached back and after grabbing the first thing he could feel, chucked it at Videl. In this case, the improvised weapon was a bowl full of spherical candies.

Confused, though unphased by the crook’s desperate attempt, Videl pressed on, but ultimately wound up slipping on the tiny balls and hitting the floor. While Gohan quickly ran over to VIdel to help her regain her footing, Keca made a break for the door and darted out of the shop.

“He’s getting away!” cried the shopkeeper.

“No he’s not!” Gohan declared. Darting out of the door, Gohan took off after Keca, leaving Videl behind to tend to things in the shop.

“Are you two okay?” Videl asked the workers.

“A little dazed, but fine.” Answered the man.

“Okay, good.” Pulling out a capsule, Videl popped it open revealing a rope.

[Meanwhile with Gohan]

Once Gohan exited the sweets shop, he quickly ducked behind it and pushed the red button on his watch. “I knew bringing this along was a good idea.” Once his costume appeared, Gohan took off into the sky, jetting after the surprisingly fast Keca.

It took less than five minutes for the Great Saiyaman to find Keca and put him out of commission with a single dropkick from above. As the wannabee pastry thief lost conscious ness, Gohan picked him up by the collar and began to fly back to the shop. “You should count yourself lucky pal, I’m sure Videl would’ve been much more aggressive with you for messing up our date.”

[Back at the shop]

Videl had finished tying up all the perps while the two workers were straightening up everything in the store the gang had wrecked.

“Okay. I’ve sent a signal to the police, so they should be here shortly to take these guys away,” Videl informed them.

“That’s all good, but what about their leader?” asked the older man.

Videl gave a small smile. “I wouldn’t worry about that. Gohan’s more than enough to catch _him_ ,” she assured.

“You must have a lot of faith in your boyfriend, don’t you?” the worker girl said longingly.

A blush formed on Videl’s face. “That’s…putting it lightly.”

In the next instance, Gohan burst through the door, (faux) panting with Keca slung over his shoulder.

“Phew…it was pretty touch and go there for a bit, but I got him.” Gohan easily let Keca down next to the rest of his men just as the shop keeper frantically approached him and Videl.

“I can’t thank you two enough for saving our store!” he beamed gratefully.

“It…was nothing,” Gohan said modestly.

“I’m always glad to take out this kind of trash,” Videl said smugly. “I just wish it hadn’t happened today of all days,” she added with a more disappointed tone.

“If you’re willing to wait a few minutes, I think we may have something that’ll make things just a little brighter.” Said the shop owner.

[A few minutes later]

Just as the police took off with the crooks in tow, Gohan and Videl were seated back at their table, enjoying what was left of their milkshakes when the worker girl appeared and served the both of them two slices of a decadent looking chocolate cake.

“Please enjoy our famous Satan’s food cake, on the house. Consider it a thank you for saving our store,” she said in a friendly tone before leaving them to their own.

“It looks great!” Gohan beamed.

“Trust me Gohan, it is,” Videl assured.

The two each took a bite and silently indulged in their sweet reward.

[Shortly later]

After finishing their sweet snack, Gohan and Videl were preparing to leave the shop. As Videl bent down to grab her handbag, Gohan’s eyes widened when they fell on her back.

“Uhhh…Videl?” he stammered out.

“What is it?”

Gohan merely made an indicative motion pointing to his back. Though initially confused, Videl turned her head and peered down her back and let out a distressed squeal.

“Egggh!!”

As it turns out, during the fight with Keca, the spherical candies that tripped Videl up were gumballs and when she fell on them, she fell _just_ hard enough for them to stick to her. Though they’d long since fallen off, each gumball left an unsightly, multicolored stain on Videl’s bright yellow blouse.

“Dammit, I just got this too!” Videl despaired.

“Is…there a place nearby where you can get it cleaned?” Gohan suggested.

Videl paused for a moment before her face lit up. “There’s one place, but it closes early today!” Videl exclaimed. Wasting no time, she quickly threw herself onto Gohan and wrapped her arms around his neck.

“Videl what are you-!?” stuttered the flustered young Saiyan.

“You can fly faster than me Gohan. I’ll direct you, you just get us there ASAP!”

Without any more questions, Gohan exclaimed, “Yes ma’am!” before blasting off into the sky.

[A few moments later]

They cut it close, but they managed to make it to the cleaner’s with barely a minute to spare. Thanks to Videl’s status, they cleaner agreed to take care of Videl’s blouse immediately. Unfortunately, as they were the last customers for today, they had to stay at the shop. The two sat patiently, yet awkwardly back to back on a nearby bench, with Videl having a blanket draped around her and Gohan doing his absolute best not to glance over at her.

“How’re you holding up Videl?” Gohan asked.

“Fine I guess,” Videl quietly replied. “But between the mess at the shop and now being stuck here…I just wish things didn’t turn south so quickly.”

“What do you mean South? I’m still enjoying today,” said Gohan.

Videl let out a sigh. “You would say that, wouldn’t you?”

“No honest. Between the movie, the sweets, and even helping stop that robbery, everything’s been really fun so far, and I don’t mind waiting here. I think it’s a nice little breather.”

Videl’s light glum expression steadily brightened as Gohan continued on, her cheeks lightly pink.

“Actually…now that we have a moment, there’s something I want to ask you,” stated Gohan.

“What is it?”

“Why _did_ you ask me out in the first place?”

Videl’s face lit up a deep shade of red at Gohan’s question.

“Videl?”

“I…well I….”

Before Videl could squeak out an answer, the cleaner reappeared with Videl’s blouse in hand. “There ya go Videl, good as new!” he proclaimed.

Heaving a sigh of relief, Videl darted up from her seat and anxiously took her blouse back.

“Thank you, SO much!” Videl thanked.

“It’s no trouble at all,” stated the cleaner. “I still gotta charge you though.”

Before Videl could respond, Gohan stepped forth and said, “Leave it to me.” Before brandishing a few bills of zeni.

“Well, aren’t you a gentleman,” chuckled the cleaner. After giving Videl a minute to get her blouse back on, Gohan handed the cleaner the money before the two of them exited the shop waving their goodbyes.

“I don’t know how Mr. Satan feels about that kid, but if you ask me, he seems like he’d be a keeper.”

[Shortly later]

As Gohan and Videl made their way out of the dry cleaners, they took a look at the sky and noticed the sun beginning to set.

“Is it that late already?” asked Gohan.

“Not really, it’s only around 6:30,” Videl replied checking her watch. “We still have time before it gets dark.”

“In that case, what do you want to do now?” Gohan asked.

Videl paused in thought for a moment before an excited grin grew to her face. Taking Gohan by the hand, she pulled him along, saying, “Come on, let’s go!”

“Go where?”

“You’ll see.”

A few moments later, Videl led Gohan to the Satan City Mall and Gohan let out a marveled “Whoa…”

“Gohan, please don’t tell me you’ve never been to a mall before,” Videl teased.

“Oh I have, just never one _this_ big before,” Gohan replied.

“Okay, that’s fair,” Videl dismissed. “Well, we’ve got at least a couple of hours to kill, so where should we start?”

_Gohan and Videl strolled through the mall, Videl leading Gohan through the various floors. The duo window shopped across countless stores viewing various different clothes, jewels, and other fun baubles._

_Along their trip they stopped at a place called “Satan’s Cyber Center”, the local mall arcade where they took a few long moments playing all the various games from fighting games, to a competitive dancing game, to classic ticket and crane games. In one such game was a large plush of a familiar black cat with a crescent shape on its forehead. It took some doing (and quite a bit of zeni), but Gohan finally managed to win the stuffed animal much to Videl’s delight._

_After leaving the arcade, the two made a break for the food court where Gohan proceeded to stuff himself with…around half as much as he could eat (which mind you, was still quite a lot) and Videl ate her own fair share._

After grabbing one more pair of sweets in the form of two small sprinkled ice-cream cones, the pair finally left the mall and after walking up the street for a few minutes were greeted to a darkened sky.

“Whoa…how long were we in there?” asked Gohan.

“You know what they say about time flying, right?” Videl replied.

Gohan chuckled. “Yeah, I guess. Looks like it’s time to call it a night.”

“Yeah…probably,” Videl softly agreed. Stepping forth, Videl began to hover in the air. “I really enjoyed today Gohan…I guess…I’ll see you at school….” Before she could even attempt to fly away, Gohan took her by the wrist and gently pulled her back down.

“Why don’t I fly you home?” he suggested.

“Thanks, but it’s fine. I can fly myself home remember?”

“Yeah…but you’ve never flown like this before,” Gohan said with a grin.

Videl eyed Gohan with a confused look as he cupped his hands around his mouth.

“NIMBUS!”

At Gohan’s call, a golden cloud zoomed in out of nowhere, startling Videl and making her drop her stuffed cat.

“Wha-!? What the heck is that!?” Videl exclaimed. “Is that…a cloud?”

“Uh-huh,” Gohan confirmed. “It’s called the Flying Nimbus, and it’ll be your ride home tonight.”

“Huh?”

“We’re going to ride it to your place,” Gohan emphasized.

“What do you mean ride?”

To answer Videl’s question, Gohan simply jumped onto the cloud and stood on it, revealing its physical properties.

“How…how does that even work!?” Videl exclaimed.

“I’m not really sure, but I think it’s some kind of magic,” Gohan chuckled. Sitting down cross legged, Gohan extended a hand signaling for Videl to join him. “Come on.”

“Uh Gohan…we can both fly so why do we need to use the cloud?” Videl asked matter of factly.

“I just thought flying with Nimbus would be more relaxing than flying ourselves, especially after all that food,” he answered. “Come on, it’ll be fun.”

Hesitation evident on all of her features, Videl slowly took Gohan’s hand and pulled herself up onto the cloud. “This is safe, right?” she quickly added.

“Well you said it yourself, we can fly ourselves, so even if you do fall off…” Gohan quieted himself when he saw the look of annoyance on her face. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t tell her you need to be pure of heart to ride the cloud,’ Gohan quickly decided.

After some shuffling, Videl knelt beside Gohan, one arm clinging to her stuffed kitty, the other draped around Gohan’s back. “Okay, let’s go Nimbus!”

Videl let out a small shriek as the cloud took off rather suddenly at a speed she wasn’t used to, almost like a roller coaster. Before long, the two were at an all too familiar altitude as Nimbus took them above the actual clouds in the night sky. They’d flown high together a few times before, but never in a place like this for as they glanced down at the city, the lights below painted a virtual mosaic.

“Incredible…”

Gohan hummed his affirmation before Nimbus hastily dove down. To anyone looking up, Nimbus could’ve very easily been mistaken for a comet of some sort, but alas, the golden cloud was once again hidden behind it’s white/grey brethren.

The two continued to zoom around Satan City on the Nimbus taking in the bird’s eye view of the city at night. After a while, Nimbus’ flight began to slow down and Videl instinctively let her head rest on Gohan’s back as the even motions became somewhat rhythmic. This had gone mostly unnoticed by Gohan, but after feeling her head on his back, he became fully aware of just how physically close they actually were.

Gohan’s had very little contact with the opposite gender, especially those around his age, so he always tends to be rather cautious when it comes to physical contact with a girl, but somehow, feeling Videl this close to him just felt…right.

The slow flight continued for a few short minutes before Nimbus hovered above Mr. Satan’s mansion. Taking Videl by the hand, Gohan stepped off of Nimbus and the two floated down to her balcony.

“Well, I guess that’s a wrap,” Gohan said letting her down.

“Yeah.” After landing on the balcony, Videl turned to look Gohan straight in the eye and said, “Thank you Gohan. I really had fun today.”

Gohan chuckled before replying, “Me too. I hope we can do this again someday.”

“Me too,” Videl replied.

The two continued to look each other in the eye before Gohan waved and said what he believed to be his final goodbye. Before he could float back up to Nimbus however, Videl stopped him.

“Hey, Gohan?”

“Yes?”

“You wanted to know why I asked you out right?”

Gohan’s eyes widened as he realized he’d never gotten the answer to his question. “Yeah I did…but if you don’t wanna tell me…”

Gohan silenced himself immediately when Videl quickly floated up to him and gently pressed her lips to his left cheek, merely centimeters away from the edge of his lips.

Gohan’s face became a vivid scarlet shade as Videl slowly descended back onto the balcony. Before she entered her room however, she turned back and answered with a wink, “Because I wanted to.”

Once Videl stepped inside, Gohan remained frozen in midair for a moment before Nimbus came down itself and proceeded to fly Gohan back home. Once the shy Saiyan hybrid regained his senses, he placed a hand to the spot where Videl had kissed him and a big goofy grin was plastered on his face. Not even caring whether or not he could be seen or heard, Gohan leapt off the cloud and burst into Super Saiyan, blasting off with a high-spirited, “YYYYYEESSSSSSS!!!!”

[Meanwhile]

After Gohan had left, Videl had taken a long, stress easing bath. Once she came out of her bathroom, there was a knock at the door. Quickly throwing a robe on, Videl was met with none other than her father, accompanied by a frantically barking Bee.

“Oh, hey Daddy,” Videl greeted gleefully.

“So you are home,” Mr. Satan noted. “And it looks like someone’s in a good mood. Where’ve you been all day.”

“Oh…just keeping a promise,” Videl answered.

“I’ll tell you later. For now, you think you can give a girl her privacy?” she asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh! Of course! Let’s go boy.”

Shutting the door, Videl instantly threw herself onto the bed and lay on her back, her limbs spread wide. Crossing her arms behind her head, she thought back to the ‘promise’ one more time.

_“Don’t die Gohan. When this is over, I’m gonna ask you out.”_

“Just keeping a promise…”


End file.
